Tuesday, December 9, 2008

So no matter what the occasion, whether you're at the yoga studio, your child's soccer game or at a religious event, networking is possible.

Start as friendsStart talking and introduced yourself. After a while you may find that both of you might share the same interest about something or shared a lot of the same value systems or shared a common passion for something.

Then developed a trust and friendship, something that's often omitted at formal networking events.

Maybe the best contact , might have been with the person sitting in the seat next to you.

Think about it--if you're on a business trip, chances are that most of the other people on the plane are probably going to be business travelers as well.

You might think you're getting on that plane to fly to a conference , but maybe at the conference you're not going to meet anybody who's really going to help you. Maybe that person who's going to help you is sitting right next to you on the plane.

A good way to start a conversation on the plane is to ask where someone's going and where he's from. Then, before you talk about yourself and your business, find out his interests and pain points. These conversations create the trust and sincerity that form a strong networking relationship. The bottom line, is simply to take the initiative and talk.

We're all brought up to believe back in the day to never talk to strangers., yet talking to strangers is just about the best networking tip you could have."

Limit your networking activities to networking events and the only thing you'll accomplish is to limit your networking activities. Entrepreneurs don't want to be pushy with their networking attempts, but good things will happen to those who start conversations, listen to other business people and keep their wits about them--even when the oxygen is thin.

How to do it

It's not always easy to strike up conversations with strangers.

Select your flight neighbor. If you have a choice in seating, boarding the flight late and scanning the passengers. Choose to sit next to someone who's dressed in a suit and reading a book, presumably a businessperson who's not buried in his or laptop or hovering over a report.

Greet your fellow passenger on first sightOtherwise it makes the conversation "awkward if you haven't acknowledged each other's presence from the outset."

Start a conversation By either commenting on the airline service or complimenting something the person is wearing, such as a piece of jewelry or a pin. Ask the story behind it. The word 'story' is important to use because it has certain associations with the human psyche.

Ask questions, and mirror her actions and facial expressions. Even synchronizing your voice--copying the tone, volume and speed--will help you build rapport with your flight neighbor. People like people who are like them, and behaving similarly is the best way to achieve this.

Art of Mastering ConversationMake that person feel like the most interesting person you've ever met. Not only is this easy to do since it takes the focus off yourself, but also it prolongs the conversation so you can build a quick and easy rapport. Keep the spotlight on them for as long as possible. It's the one subject most people find the most fascinating of all."

Monday, December 1, 2008

It's looking pretty darn ugly out there. I'm no economist, so I'm not about to predict the markets or the stability of the economy, but I am an internet marketer, and what I can say--with confidence--is that a downturn in the economy does not have to be a major roadblock for your internet business.

One key to surviving--even thriving--during this period of uncertainty is to know your customers.

It's more critical than ever for you to understand exactly who they are--their interests, goals, priorities and desires. This will allow you to create laser-focused marketing copy that speaks directly to them and solves their specific problems. You'll also be able to offer products that you know will make a difference in their lives. They'll reward you with continued customer loyalty and ongoing sales.

The easiest and fastest way to look inside their heads is with a survey. You can create an effective and informative survey that will help you connect with your customers and continue to profit during the current financial turmoil in five steps.

Step #1: Plan Your SurveyAs with everything else you do with your business, you'll have the greatest success with your survey if you plan. Decide on your goals for the survey. Are you trying to learn more about specific products you offer? Looking for ways to give everyone a more positive customer care experience? Trying to gather demographic information so you can segment your list better and send out tailored offers?

Be clear about what you're hoping to accomplish with the survey, and you'll be in great shape when it's time to create it.

Step #2: Choose Your WeaponOne thing I like about surveys is that they're simple for most business owners to administer. That's because there are lots of free web-based services that will host your survey. Just design the survey using their simple point-and-click interface, enter the text for your questions, and then e-mail a link to your customers and subscribers. When your customers show up, the automated survey is online and ready to take. Many of these free services also offer a reasonable number of reporting features, making it easy to interpret your results.

Most of these services also offer paid upgrades, which allows you to create more complex surveys and get more sophisticated reports, but for a typical small survey, the freebies work fine. You may start with :

SurveyMonkeySurvey Pro

Step #3: Design and Write Your SurveyHere are a few tips to help you design a better survey:

Start off easy: To ease your customers into the survey, start off with some simple questions they can answer without a lot of thought. Basic demographic information is a good example (age, location, etc.).

But save a few easy questions for the rest of the survey. That way, it won't get increasingly difficult throughout, which can cause some people to bail before they complete it.

Avoid asking too many questions: Ten minutes is about the maximum time people will spend on a survey. Let them know up front how much time they'll need.

Give your survey an introduction and ending: Include a brief introduction to the survey that clearly explains what people are required to do. End the survey with a thank-you page to let people know you appreciate their time.

Respect people's privacy: If you want to collect personal information like income or occupation, reassure your customers that their answers are all confidential.

For example, don't say, "How quickly did we resolve your problem?" This assumes the problem was resolved. The question you should ask is, "Was your problem resolved?"

Avoid questions that require people to rate more than one thing at a time: For instance, don't say, "How fast and accurate did you find our customer service representative?" While the service may have been fast, it may not have been accurate (or vice versa).

Focus on asking closed-ended questions: In a survey, a closed-ended question is one that can be answered with a simple yes, no, or other specific piece of information, or a selection from multiple choices. This makes the survey faster and easier for your customers, and the results more simple for you to manage.

Be consistent with your questions: If you ask your customers to rate certain things on a numbered scale, make sure to use the same scale each time. If they need to rate something on a scale of 1 to 5 in one question, avoid using a scale of 1 to 10 elsewhere.

Carefully review and test the survey: Make sure it has a logical flow and that it all makes sense, then ask a few people (customers, if possible, or co-workers, friends, or family) to take the survey ahead of time, and watch them while they do it. Once they're done, ask about the experience. Was there anything they didn't understand? Were they confused at any point? Make sure the survey is easy to understand and follow before you make it available.

Step #4: Administer the SurveyThe easiest way to do this is to e-mail your customers and ask them for a few minutes of their time. Be sure you tell them what's in it for them if they take the survey.

If your goal is to improve a certain product, tell them that by taking the survey they'll actually be helping you to help them because you'll use their comments to fine-tune the assistance you can offer them.

Don't be shy about offering your customers a "bribe" for taking the survey. Consider sending everyone who responds a gift, like a free e-book, a coupon for discounted products or entry in a drawing.

Finally, make sure you build some urgency into the e-mail. If you don't ask people to take the time right away to answer the survey, they'll often put it aside for later but never return to complete it.

Step #5: Interpret Your ResultsAs you review the results of your survey, remember that, more than anything, you're looking for trends. Did the majority of respondents answer specific questions the same way? Are they often expressing the same frustrations?

At the same time, look for any surprising answers. Your survey is likely going to tell you things about your audience that you had no idea were true.

By finding out exactly who your audience is, what they like and dislike, and what their goals and experiences are, you'll be able to tailor your sales copy, your e-mail marketing efforts, your website and even your products, to suit them.

The results should be improved customer loyalty and ongoing success with your business, even during these turbulent economic times.

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